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Sunday, May 29, 2011

RAPP Reunion: Spotlight on Food

For the RAPP 25 Year Reunion, we tried to be intentional about our purchases, especially around food. Our food selections were made and arranged by the food sub-committee, which was chaired by RAPP's Communication Intern Melissa Davis.

At the beginning, the committee set the criteria that we wanted a multi-ethnic buffet that was mostly heavy hors d'oeurves rather than a formal served meal. We thought this would encourage people to mingle more as well as give us the opportunity to be creative.

We also wanted to be inclusive in our food choices, ensuring that we made the food accessible to those of varying diets and dietary needs.

Finally, we wanted to support smaller, local businesses, preferably minority owned.

Mel found this relatively new pizza & deli owned by Steve Lin. The restaurant stood out for its variety of vegan and gluten-free offerings, as well as offering food that is safe for folks with nut allergies. The pizzas are wood-fired and the customer service is outstanding!

This restaurant specializing in Jamaican cuisine is located right near campus and is growing in popularity as a caterer for campus! Island Frydays, owned by UC Alumnus Leo Morgan, offers fast food service, delivery, as well as bustling catering business. Very popular at the reunion were the jerk chicken wings, the meat patties, and steamed vegetables!

Our sweet tooths were filled with delicious desserts courtesy of UC Alumna Amanda Morris' sweets. Chef Morris offers both meals and desserts in her catering, but we ordered only her locally famous latter. AmandaCakes offers an extensive vegan menu that most in attendance couldn't believe were vegan due to their creamy richness and full flavor. She also brought an array of yummy nut-free desserts and a rich reunion-themed cake.

All foods were labeled by name, ingredients where possible, and tagged around vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, gluten-free or pork containing.